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13th fret on the MT-O? I guess they want to compromise between vintage 12 and modern 15?

Hi Jill! I don’t know if the Collings specs have changed over the years, but the MT-O they make now has a 12th fret neck joint. Check out the pictures in their web site.

I’ve never played one, but a Collings MT-O Vintage certainly has the right specs. Pava makes an A style oval hole but it has a 15 fret neck.

Of course, you could buy a Gibson Paddlehead for less...

The “traditional” compound dovetail joint is the king of all neck joints for good reason. Yes, it is much more difficult to fit in the first place than other methods, but when done well, it...

Builders/designers/engineers do not consider ease of repairs at all, in my opinion. There are just too many examples out there to deny it. There are exceptions. Leo Fender for example. Ease of repair...

Bob, I’ll bet you remember when Weber made piccolo carved top mandolins. They were a neat idea, but one of the first things that went when Two Old Hippies took over and started cutting things from...

The neck joint on those always fails. Always.

Keep in mind, if you use solid strings for the 2nd course, that will affect the way you cut the compensation on the bridge saddle. That is one fault I find with the typical entry level OMs, like...

Is there a reason you are going with solid strings for the second course? Most OM’s use wound strings there. I believe D’Addario’s J80 set would be good for your scale length. Those are .012, .022w,...

Rigel seems to have gone out of business around 2006, then came back in 2011. Then they were reported out of business again by some here around 2015. If you do a search you will see that there is...

A small file could be used to take the sharp edges off the tailpiece hooks. I don’t know about tying a knot in a .072 string, never tried it, but I do know I wouldn’t trust a crimping gadget. Maybe...

I once worked on a banjo uke that used nylon strings but had a tailpiece with hooks. My solution was to tie a loop at the end of each, but it needs to be a loop that won’t tighten on itself. The knot...

Wow! That thing’s been rode hard! Half the finish on the top’s been picked off and what the heck is going on with those Chinese characters taped to the back? If I bought that thing (I’m not, don’t...

You guys know this is a 12 year old thread, right?

On a whim I tried some very mildly abrasive guitar polish on the spots and with some elbow grease they disappeared. I thought I was dealing with something under the finish but guess it was really on...

It always amazes me how asking a question on this forum yields information that sends me in a completely different direction! Cellulose Acetate Butyrate? Never heard of it! So I did some research!...

I probably wasn’t clear about the two concentric “rings”. They are not round but more oblong and pretty irregular. Fairly certain this is not mold. It also occurs on other parts as blotches.

Thank...

I have a Martin D-17, not the old all mahogany one but the more recent one, early 2010’s, with a shaded spruce top. The mahogany body is matte finish but the shaded spruce top is glossy. I don’t...

+1. Mr. Condino has nailed it! A screw in end button is far superior to a tapered push fit one. Especially if you are going to use it for straps. The push in tapered ones were never designed for...

Very rough translation (I think):

1 year warranty. Should something arise concerning materials or workmanship within 1 year, repairs will be performed for free if sent back to where the instrument...

It would make it very difficult to do future repairs. Silicone has a way of contaminating everything it touches. A better choice for removing fine scratches is to use Micro Mesh. If you’re really...

Bob, here is a picture of the back of my dulcimer. It doesn’t do the color justice but at least you can see the grain pattern. Book matched walnut. Upper part is crotched, bottom is flamed.

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Oooooo! Crotched black walnut! Now you really have my attention. My lap dulcimer has a crotched black walnut back. What a nice companion a similar mandolin would be. I need to keep repeating to...

Really nice job there Bob! It doesn’t seem like there are many people making fine quality flat tops anymore. If I saw one like yours for sale I would be tempted to buy it! The elongated body shape...

Heck, why stop there? Just go ahead and pull all of them except for frets 1-5. Never could understand why they insist on cluttering up the fretboard with all those frets no one uses anyway! ;)